


A Town Called Overwatch

by Tabsbee



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: All characters - Freeform, Background Relationships, Background characters - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-27 16:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12084804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabsbee/pseuds/Tabsbee
Summary: Following the death of her wife four years ago, Fareeha moved to the wooded outskirts of a town called Overwatch in search of solitude. But when strange things start happening in town, Fareeha finds herself drawn into the writhing secrets the inhabitants are hiding.





	1. The Greatly Exaggerated Death of a Frenchman

**Author's Note:**

> I don't want to tag all characters however, most Overwatch characters will appear. Additionally, there will likely be a lot of relationships but they will not be major or focal points.

Fareeha Amari sighed heavily as she flopped onto her bed, sending up puffs of dust and that mothball smell. Her husky Bastion did the same, jumping up and curling onto a pillow as they both relaxed from their exhausting day. They’d just spent several hours driving from the west coast back to their secluded cabin in the woods after a long summer as a fire lookout. Fareeha enjoyed the job, but it became tedious and exhausting as the months went on.

She rolled over onto her side, staring at the picture that was resting on her bedside table. It had a layer of dust over it, and Fareeha reached over to wipe it clear. After all these years she could finally look at the picture of her wedding day without crying. Though she supposed it was because she felt muted, like she was underwater and everything was filtered before it hit her.

Her wife. Natasha. They had been together for eight years, married for two. Then a simple car accident took it all away. Fareeha had hardly been able to survive the loss. With no family to lean on, Fareeha decided to sell the flat they had shared and move far, far away from San Francisco and everything she had known for years.

She had been inconsolable. Like the light in her life went out. She still felt like that most days. But working and living in the mountains, with the fresh air and the pine trees, the flowing streams and the harsh winters, Fareeha felt a small chunk of herself returning everyday.

Fareeha curled up around the photo, Bastion nestled behind her, and fell asleep.

* * *

When Fareeha woke that next morning, she was sore, cranky, and her stomach felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Bastion seemed to be feeling the same. She groggily stretched and padded her way into her kitchen and checked her fridge. Nothing. It was completely empty, of course it was. She’d just been away for nearly four months. At least Bastion had some dog food to tide him over.

Fareeha fed her dog, showered and dressed in some fresh clothes as she decided to head into town for some supplies. She pulled on a light jacket, it was almost fall but the temperatures hadn’t started to drop yet.

She stepped out of her cabin and took a deep breath of the crisp air. The pine trees surrounding her little home were green and gorgeous, the sky was clear, a sunny day to grace them.

“Shall we check the bike, Bas?” Fareeha spoke to her dog as she normally did. She learned after that first summer as a fire lookout that leaving her bike in a shed for months led to a much needed tune up upon return. She hitched up a flatbed trailer to her jeep, just large enough for a snowmobile or her bike, and motioned to Bastion to hop into the passenger seat of her car. She’d bring it in to the mechanic in Overwatch as she had for the past three years.

It was a twenty minute drive through the winding roads of the mountain and down into the small town. Fareeha liked being out in the seclusion of the woods, and Overwatch was small but held all the basic necessities. Like today, she’d stop by the mechanic to drop her bike off and then head to the cafe for breakfast and coffee.

The Blue Turret was small auto shop with a number of well trained mechanics. Fareeha always thought it odd that _three_ top notch mechanics worked in the small town where they likely got very little service but then again, she lived in the middle of the woods with her dog.

She pulled into the small lot and got out of her car with Bas in tow. Her usual mechanic was Reinhardt, an old German man with a boisterous laugh. He’d been the man she came to the first time she needed her bike fixed.

Fareeha stepped into the shop and was greeted by the young woman at the counter, Brigitte was her name. She’d met her more than a few times. “Morning, what can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for Reinhardt, I need to drop my bike off for a tune up.” Fareeha told her.

“Reinhardt’s out towing a car but he should be back soon. You want to wait or we could just give ya a call when your bike’s good to go?” She offered.

Fareeha was staring at an empty space on corkboard of the small office. She’d seen it numerous times before, that empty space, but she remembers the first time she entered the shop. There was an old photograph of her mother, of all people. She was younger, much younger, and standing between two broad shouldered men, all smiling happily. Fareeha nearly threw up the first time she saw the photo. Then, after that, it was gone. Taken down after she left, never put back up.

Fareeha never told Reinhardt her last name, but she knew the man looked at her curiously on more than one occasion.

“I’ll just leave it right out front, here are the keys. Thank you.” Fareeha responded as she left the office with one last glance at where that photo used to be. She never plucked up the courage to ask Reinhardt, or anyone else in the shop, about her mother. The woman disappeared when Fareeha was just a young girl, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know more.

She unhitched her trailer in a parking spot to the side of the building and then she and Bastion were off again, on their way to the small cafe just a few streets away. The town was small and easy to navigate, and Fareeha often wondered what the people of the town did for a living.

She found herself wondering a great many things about the people in the town. She always thought there was a strange mix of different people. There were odd nuances about the town that often caught Fareeha off guard. But then she was always reminded that everyone had a story, just like she did, and everyone had a reason for finding themselves in Overwatch.

The cafe she stopped at was a small bakery and coffee shop, run by two young women. The two of them were always bouncing around the small shop doing something or another, while a barista attended the counter. He was a vibrant young man named Lucio; Fareeha had run out of coffee enough times to know that.

Fareeha ordered a few breakfast pastries and a cup of coffee, then proceeded to sit down at an outdoor table where she had left Bastion. She was nearly halfway through her coffee when she caught sight of a man scarcely older than herself speaking with a young woman, both wearing the same tan uniform, not too far down the street.

“Strange, innit?” A voice caught her off guard.

Fareeha turned to see one of the women who owned the cafe wiping down one of the tables.

“I’m sorry?” Fareeha questioned, unsure what the woman was speaking about. Lena, she was certain her name was Lena.

“Just, all the hubbub going on lately, ya know?” She gestured to the uniformed pair, seemingly unaware that Fareeha was rather behind on topics of town gossip.

“I’m not sure I know what has been going on…” Fareeha trailed off quietly.

“Oh, sorry luv! That’s the sheriff and his deputy, Jesse and Hana. You see, a few weeks ago, a woman went missing and her husband was the prime suspect. But then, he was found shot in the head out at the lake. Been a strange feel about town ever since.” She explained hastily as she peeked toward the sheriff.

“Oh my, that’s horrible. Was the woman found?” Fareeha hadn’t heard of anything _at all_ happening in this town since she arrived, which in and of itself was strange, but to have such a gruesome crime must have shocked the people of Overwatch.

“No, not been found yet. Amelie and Gerard Lacroix. Fine couple, served ‘em here more than a few times too, just weird thinking back about it.”

Lena bid her farewell and continued her work back indoors as Fareeha mulled over the news.

* * *

Fareeha returned home to her cabin later that day after grocery shopping. She received a phone call from Reinhardt that her bike would take a few days. That was fine with Fareeha, she had plenty of things to do around the cabin anyway.

She simply spent the rest of the day cleaning and putting away her groceries, heading out with Bastion a few times for walks in the woods. With winter coming, she’d have to start chopping firewood soon.

Their first full day home went by rather quickly and Fareeha went to bed exhausted once more. The next day went pretty similarly, Fareeha started gathering firewood and stacking it away. She went for a bike ride through the trails up in the mountain, exhausting stuff that left her starving once she got back.

The day went quick enough as well, and once again Fareeha was cozied up on the sofa, a book in hand as Bastion snored on the floor. She had been in a particularly riveting chapter when Bastion jolted up, rather alert.

“What is it, boy?” Fareeha humored him, any time he heard something outside, it was a deer, moose, bear, whatever. There were so many wild animals around that it wasn’t worth worrying over.

Though Fareeha did hear something that time, some kind of clapping outside. Like a person hitting something, perhaps. But no, it was likely just a larger than usual animal.

Or what is a person? Fareeha normally put very little though into the noises she heard, but what if it was that missing woman? What if she had been lost in the woods for weeks and Fareeha’s lit up cabin drew her to civilization?

Against her usual judgement, Fareeha got up to investigate. With a large flashlight in hand, and a baseball bat in the other (purely for protection, she wasn’t a baseball fan) Fareeha set out into the backyard with Bastion at her side.

They crept up to the woodline, where the small clearing around the cabin ended and the vast forest picked up again, and listened quietly.

There was definitely a person out there. Fareeha could hear what sounded like a palm smacking something, and some very quiet mutterings.

She walked into the trees a ways, and shined her flashlight around.

“Hello? Is someone out here?” She called.

There was quick rustling, like she startled the person, and her light fell upon a figure that stopped moving immediately. It was a man, probably middle aged, some kind of Asian descent. He was staring back at Fareeha, eyes wide in the light.

“Do you… need help?” He certainly didn’t look like he was in need of assistance, but what on Earth was he doing out here?

The man didn’t speak, simply smacked a flashlight he was holding against his open palm a few times and it flickered to life. He lit up the forest ahead of him, away from Fareeha’s home, and gave a small bow her way before traipsing off.

Fareeha stood bewildered for a moment, before the hoot of an owl startled her and she brought Bastion back inside. That was certainly the oddest experience she’s had out here. And to add in a disappearance and a murder? Perhaps she would head into town tomorrow and inform the Sheriff of the suspicious man.

This little village certainly had its share of secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've already written chapter two and I'll post that in a few days.


	2. That Fire Red Hair

Fareeha woke the next morning bright and early with the birds chirping outside her windows. Bastion was snoring in his bed in the corner, and the sun was peeking through the trees. With a quick stretch, Fareeha rolled out of bed and was hit with the cold. Goosebumps erupted on her skin before she pulled on some sweatpants and a flannel to ward off the chill of the morning and headed to the kitchen for coffee.

Her favorite part of mornings was brewing up a fresh cup of coffee and standing on the porch, staring out at the forest and enjoying the morning breeze. Bastion roused himself to sit on the porch with her and Fareeha couldn’t help but think, on these beautiful mornings, how much Tasha would have loved being there. She often thought about Tasha being out there in the woods with her. How it would have been their own private paradise, in the middle of nowhere.

Fareeha allowed herself to reminisce until her coffee was gone, and then set to work for the morning. A little bit of firewood, a walk through the trails with Bastion, some home maintenance and then it was noon. She figured she’d head into town for lunch and then speak with the sheriff, and that’d be a decent day.

Just after noon and Fareeha was parking her jeep in front of the sheriff’s station. Of course when she got to the door, a sign was on it saying _out to lunch_. Fareeha sighed and looked around the small village, Overwatch was pretty tiny so there weren’t too many places to eat lunch around here, other than home. She figured she’d get lunch herself and stop by afterwards.

“Fareeha! It seems you’re back from your summer work.” Fareeha was greeted by one of the few people she would actually stop and speak with in town, Dr. Angela Ziegler. She was a pleasant woman, though they had only ever spoken about their respective jobs when Fareeha would get her yearly physical from the doctor. Her office was just two doors down from the sheriff.

“Yes, hello doctor, how are you?” Fareeha responded amicably.

“Just fine, were you looking for Jesse? And please, Angela is fine.”

“I was, in fact. I had a strange run-in with someone last night and with everything that has apparently been going on, I thought it was worth mentioning.”

“Oh, is everything alright?” Angela seemed rather worried for the other woman.

“Yes, yes, all good. I just wanted to inform the sheriff is all.” Fareeha amended. No need to worry folks too much.

“Well, I’d bet he is at the cafe, perhaps you would join me for afternoon tea?” Angela inquired. Fareeha didn’t want to impose on anyone, especially if the sheriff was enjoying his lunch, but then again she herself was going to get lunch and there weren’t exactly a lot of other options than the cafe.

“Ah, that sounds fine. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a proper afternoon tea.” Fareeha admitted.

“Oh! A tragedy, Emily makes an excellent selection.” Angela exclaimed as they walked the block over to the cafe.

They walked inside, immediately greeted by Lena, and spotted the sheriff himself enjoying a large hamburger at a booth.

“And wouldn’t you know, there’s the man you were looking for.” Angela pointed out. She informed Lena that they would both be having afternoon tea and then led Fareeha over to Jesse’s booth.

“Huh, wha?” He barely sputtered out around his mouthful of burger.

“Jesse, this is Fareeha. We’ll be joining your for lunch as she has some matters to discuss with you.” Angela explained very matter of factly as she took a set and motioned for Fareeha to do the same.

“Well, very nice to meet you Fareeha but Angela, as you can see, I’m on break-”

“It’s just a conversation, Jesse. You should really be taking things more seriously, anyway, with everything that’s been going on.”

Fareeha felt uncomfortable bothering the sheriff. “Really, it can wait, I don’t want to impose…”

Jesse rolled his eyes toward Angela, “Oh but imposin' is the doctor’s favorite activity. Might as well share now anyway, I’m all ears ma’am.” He nodded at Fareeha.

“Alright. It’s just that, last night I heard some noises outside my home, I live about 16 km outside of town so it’s rather odd for someone to be out there. I went to check and found a man, perhaps in his fifties, asian, nondescript otherwise. He didn’t speak to me, simply walked away after I saw him.”

Both Jesse and Angela looked rather perplexed.

“He didn’t interact with you at all?” Angela asked.

“He bowed and then walked away. That’s all, I just feel that we should be thorough in our safety measures, with recent events.” Fareeha explained.

Jesse nodded and rubbed his chin. “Well, did he have a gaudy green dye job?”

Fareeha quirked an eyebrow as the red head, Emily, dropped off two platters of food and tea for the girls. “No, that rather defining characteristic was not something he had.”

“Perhaps Hanzo?” Angela asked.

“No, you said last night? It wasn’t Hanzo.”

“Mm, and how would you know?” Angela seemed to be teasing Jesse now.

Fareeha sipped some tea and started in on her meal, first a bite of sandwich and then she cut a small scone to add cream and jam as the two friends bickered.

“Well listen,” Jesse started, “Overwatch is pretty small and I can’t say that man sounds familiar, so we’ll keep an eye out and you be careful out in the woods on your own, alright?”

Fareeha nodded and seemed satisfied. She hadn’t been expecting much more than that, but she felt better to have shared the information.

“How do you like everything? It’s good, right?” Angela asked as she started eating as well. Fareeha hummed her approval, and like that, the three enjoyed the rest of their meal together.

* * *

“So Fareeha, have you attended one of our karaoke nights as the bar?” Angela asked once they had finished their meals and paid.

Fareeha cocked her head slightly, “No, I was not aware of such a thing.”

“Well, I for one think you should really start to enjoy more of the town culture, what do you say to joining us tonight?”

Jesse chimed in as well. “Yeah, I do a wonderful rendition of  _ we didn’t start the fire _ .”

Fareeha laughed lightly, “Somehow I doubt that.”

“Come, it will be fun. Meet us outside the sheriff’s station, we both finish at six.” Angela insisted and Jesse simply shrugged toward Fareeha, like they had an inside joke,  _ you know Angela.  _

“Alright, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” Fareeha shrugged.

Her companions smiled and eventually bid her farewell to get back to work. Fareeha stopped in to check on her bike and decided to go back home to let Bastion out.

It had certainly been an interesting past few days for the woman.

* * *

Fareeha was back in Overwatch for the second time that day, and the third time in the past week since she’d been home. It must have been a record for her.

She received a call from Reinhardt while she was home, informing her that her bike was all set. Good timing too, so she returned to the town to pay for her bike and hitch it up before heading to wait on the doctor and sheriff.

The sun was low in the sky, ready to set soon with fall approaching. Fareeha thought back to the last time she went out with friends for a beer. Back when she was still a firefighter and went out with her fellow firemen, a lifetime ago. It was hard to believe she used to have a life like that.

Fareeha had just settled in front of the sheriff’s office when the door opened. It was Jesse, exiting the office dressed in casual clothing. Fareeha could see inside the station where his deputy, Hana, was still seated at a desk. She was playing some handheld game very intently.

“You head on over to the bar when you’ve… beat your game or whatever.” Jesse called behind him as he shut the door.

“Ah, excellent, you are both ready!” Angela called as she walked over from her office. She had changed as well, no longer in simple clothing and a labc oat, but nothing overstated. Fareeha supposed this wasn’t the place people lived if they enjoyed dressing up for a night out.

“Will Hana be joining us?” Angela asked as she stopped by the other two.

“Maybe. I try not to bother her when she’s in the zone.” Jesse admitted.

Angela laughed lightly. “Are you her brother or her boss?” She teased.

Fareeha stopped listening. Was that smoke over there?

“There’s a fire.” She said loudly. Her companions turned to look and spotted the smoke rising from a block over. It was dark and billowing, there was way too much rising into the darkening sky.

“Shit!” Jesse shouted as Fareeha took off running.

“Get the fire department!” She called behind her as she headed for the smoke.

“I am the fire department!” He called back as he rushed back into the station. “Hana, fire gear! We gotta go!”

“Fareeha!” Angela called as she chased after the other woman.

* * *

Fareeha rounded the block and saw a fire erupting around the cafe. The flames were licking at the outside of the building, crawling up along the windows and door. Fareeha surveyed the area, luckily the town was small and old enough that most of the buildings were separate so the chances of the fire jumping to another building were low.

Folks from around the area were starting to poke their heads out, the fire and smoke drawing them from their activities. The fire was roaring, burning all along the base of the cafe. Deliberately set. It spread far too quickly to be an accident. From the bar emerged a number of people, and Fareeha could pointedly pick out Lena and Lucio, but no Emily. The look on Lena’s face told Fareeha she was still inside.

Angela had caught up with her, horrified at the sight before her. The tiny town seemed to be facing more horrors than ever, as of late. Angela had her lab coat draped over her arm so Fareeha grabbed it from her and ran toward the cafe.

“What are you doing?” Angela had yelled after her. This was Fareeha’s job back home. Before her whole life changed, she ran into burning buildings and that was what she was going to do again.

She wrapped Angela’s lab coat over her head and arms, planning to run straight through the glass front door. Multiple windows were open, she already spotted them, so there would be no risk of backdraft.

Fareeha sprinted straight into the building, bracing her arms around her head as she barrelled through the glass door and into the burning cafe. She rolled on the ground, over and over as the flames licked at her. Her forearms were certainly singed, and the lab coat was through, but Fareeha made it largely unharmed.

She spotted Emily immediately, hiding under the bar top, below the smoke and away from the sides of the building.

“Emily! We have to get out quickly.” The smoke was thick, she could see Emily struggling to breathe. They would have to move quickly, but the flames were rising quickly.

The girl began crawling toward her, trying to cover her mouth as she went. 

“Give me your apron!” Fareeha called as she tried to duck her way towards the sink. Apron in hand, she soaked it in water to use the same way she had used the lab coat.

“Alright Emily, we’re going to run through the door, when we get out roll on the ground ok? There will be plenty of people to help put out any fires on us, just don’t panic.” Fareeha instructed Emily. She nodded quickly. 

Fareeha pulled the other woman under her arm and draped the soaked apron over them.

“Ok, now we run.” They moved quickly, Fareeha trying to keep Emily beneath her, to cover her from the flames. As they ran through the door, the heat burned at them, the intensity was searing and Fareeha knew she would have burns, she only hoped to keep them from Emily. The other girl was dressed in her cafe attire, shorts and a t-shirt, open skin for the flames to attack.

They both hit the ground outside the cafe, rolling on the pavement to rid any lingering flames. Other townspeople assisted with large blankets, smothering any remaining cinders. With pain, Fareeha stood and saw that Jesse was still struggling to get the hose attached to the fire hydrant. She quickly shoved him aside and attached the hose before it ballooned to pressure.

Fareeha let loose the torrent of water attempting to douse the fire but there was a second hose by Jesse that would be needed. She instructed Jesse on where to aim as she perused the crowd. Interestingly, the two distinct men had exited the bar and were watching solemnly, and Fareeha could see the man from outside her house pointing a camera at them from the shadows far away before disappearing. She also saw Lena rush to Emily’s side as Angela checked her over and applied ointments to any burns.

“You! Come help!” Fareeha called to a very large woman with short pink hair, watching nearby. She assisted immediately, both she and Jesse guided the hose to put out the flames.

Fareeha then picked the second hose from the ground and called over a large black man who had been standing near the bar. 

“Come help me on this side.” They moved around to the back of the cafe where another fire hydrant was a few doors down and attached the second hose to work from both sides.

 

It was slow work, but with two hoses they managed to keep the fire from growing, and after some time it began burning down, slowly going out. As the adrenaline began to wear off, Fareeha began to feel the pain on her arms from the burns she sustained.

“Fareeha!” It was Angela, calling to her from down the block. Hana was next to her as they walked closer to the pair with the hose. 

“Let me get you patched up, Zarya is helping Jesse and Hana can help Akande here, they’ll have it under control.”  Fareeha hesitated, but eventually followed Angela back to the block over where people were still gathered, comforting each other and spectating. The doctor had set up her med kit in front of the bar, far enough from the flames to away from the heat.

“Emily?” Fareeha inquired as she sat down on the pile of blankets that was Angela’s makeshift workspace. Yes, her office was a mere block away, but better to stay on the scene as Fareeha was the only person in town with fire experience.

“Is fine, and very grateful. Some minor burns and smoke inhalation, I sent her home for rest. Now, let’s worry about you.” Angela spoke softly and handed Fareeha a bottle of water which she drank eagerly.

Fareeha winced with each poke and prod from the doctor, some blisters were already swelling up but Angela was taking great care in wrapping her arms. 

“That was very brave of you, but also rather foolish.” Angela chastised sternly as they neared the end of the first aid.

“Yes, well, it was lucky I was here. Jesse it not enough of a fire department.” Fareeha responded almost harshly. Her job let her see all the stupid things people do, how fires start and how they harm. The lack of a fire department, even for such a small town, was appalling.

“We’ve never had any trouble before. I’ve never seen anything that intense.” Angela said. She was right. The town had only ever had a few small kitchen fires, all easily taken out with a fire extinguisher.

Fareeha nodded as she spotted Jesse leaving the hose to head over to them. The fire was nearly out, a few flames and glowing spots on the building to deal with but otherwise, Zarya seemed to have it under control.

“Well that was a real shit box of a situation.” Jesse sighed as he sat and received a bottle of water from Angela. He was sweaty and had a decent amount of soot on his face, and Fareeha remembered she probably looked similar.

“It was set on purpose.” She told her companions. They both looked at her wide-eyed, though not in disbelief.

“By who? How do you know?” Angela questioned as she started to pour water on a gauze pad to try to clean Fareeha’s face.

“The man I saw outside of my cabin. He was here, and he was taking photographs of two men, one with a gaudy green dye job, as you would say. It was likely a distraction, to draw everyone out. Perhaps he needed proof that they were here.” Fareeha told them. Jesse sighed and rubbed at his dirty face.

“Ok, we’ll deal with all of this tomorrow. We’ll talk to the Shimada brothers, they seem to be the center of attention now.” He stated.

Fareeha nodded but stopped him from getting up. “I will also train some volunteers to be first responders in the event that something like this happens again. You need more hoses around the town, and fire gear.”

Jesse nodded. “I’ll let some folks know we’re making a squad. Thank you, Fareeha. You saved our asses tonight.” He stuck his hand out for a firm handshake. “I’m going to take a look around, once we’re finished here I suppose you’ll have a quick sweep of the building, make sure it’s safe?” Jesse questioned as he walked towards the building.

“Will do.” Fareeha said as she watched him walk over and speak with Zarya who was lazily shooting the hose at one stubborn little cinder.

Fareeha observed him for a moment longer before she spoke to Angela. “He doesn’t seem as concerned as I thought he would.”

“Oh, well, he has a lot on his plate now, with everything that’s happened and it’s been such a long night, Fareeha. I think we’re all in need of a good night’s rest.” Angela responded so easily, like she knew just what to say.

Once more, Fareeha was struck with a sense of secrecy, as if this town had a lot more to it then just being a little place in the middle of nowhere. Fareeha found herself wondering again, who exactly are the people of Overwatch?


End file.
